Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Something real quick before we get to Taylor Swift. They are in the middle of picking a new Pope, and I just want to say that if they pick a Pope of color this time around, it will be further proof that they give a position of leadership to a black or brown person when everything has gone to crap/is about to go to crap. Exhibit A: Barack Obama.

I heard this on The Colbert Report a few nights ago, but you can ask my husband, and he will verify I said it to him well before we ever saw that show.

Just wanted to put that out there. Not really long enough for it's own blog post, but too long for a tweet on twitter.

My last post was about Taylor and one of her more popular songs, and how said song illustrated the idea that even when in a seemingly one-down position, people have a tendency to be cruel to those that have been cruel to them. If you need a refresher or didn't get a chance to read it, you can click here. And the photo above is what I found when I went on google images and typed Taylor Swift and Pope. I think it might be photoshopped. Okay, moving on.

I said I was going to tie her song back to race and inequality, and here goes...

I wonder if part of the hesitation for white people around making concrete steps towards reparations for black people, is this idea that if white people do that, the black people will get more power, and then try to exact some sort of revenge towards the white people. And I'm not just talking about writing mean songs.

If the conversation about reparations is never had, then there is never an acknowledgment that something despicable enough to warrant reparations was done, so we can just kind of avoid the whole topic.

Maybe at this point you are asking, What are reparations? I am not an expert on the subject, but the general idea is some sort of repayment or investment in the black community to apologize for/alleviate the effects of the damage done by slavery and Jim Crow.

Have you heard of 40 acres and a mule? When the slaves were freed after The Civil War, there was some talk of giving each adult male former slave some land and an animal help him farm it. That never happened, I guess they decided sharecropping and mass incarceration was a better plan. I have also heard free college education, massive government spending on social programs, and direct cash payments also mentioned. I have wondered before if some black people that receive welfare see it as a form of reparations that they they are entitled to. Is that my class bias showing, or just an astute observation? Who knows.

I had plans to talk about something else this blog post, so I don't want to stay on this reparations topic too long. For me, I think a legitimate claim can be made for receiving them. At the same time, I don't think the amount that I would consider fair if we're talking direct cash payments, would ever be considered by the federal government. Plus, when you look at the current state of the US economy and the reality that many white people are struggling as well, I really wonder how it would ever be adopted.

Look at how upset some white people get at affirmative action (an idea that may or may not help black people,) and tell me how we get from that, to those same white people being fine with hundreds of millions/billions of dollars actually being spent specifically to help black people.

Ok, let's move on to a less-sensitive topic: Black Power. My white, gay friend (we'll call him Neil,) asked on Facebook what book his friends were currently reading. I didn't answer. I saw Neil a few days later and told him that I didn't answer because I was reading this book:

If you can't see the picture, the book is Blueprint for Black Power by Amos Wilson. It's 900 pages long. I told Neil I didn't want to write that on his post, because I didn't want people to get "the wrong idea." I also asked him what he thought a 900- page book called Blueprint for Gay Power would be about.

I will say that I am on page 650-ish, and the author has not said Kill Whitey once. His main premise seems to be that in order for black people to move up in the world, it all comes down to economics. Black people should put their money in black-owned banks, and shop with black-owned businesses. They should also start their own businesses. He spends little to no time talking about gangs, out of wedlock births, or crime in the inner city. Wilson seems to believe that all of these social ills would be solved if the economics were taken care of and people had well-paying jobs.

He says at the beginning of the book that there have been a number of theories about why white people have been/are racist (cold climate of Northern Europe being one,) but that they can all be summed up by one explanation: because they can be. If black people get economic power, white racism becomes somewhat irrelevant to the whole conversation.

So here are my questions for you, dear readers:

What does Black Power mean to you?

Is a black person preferring to spend money at a black-owned business vs a white-owned business reverse racism ?
What about preferring to live around black people? Or date and marry black people?

I think it's interesting that in a lot of ways we've been supposedly moving towards this ideal of color-blindness, but the inequalities continue to exist along color lines. What are the reasons for that?

Would you be willing to go out of your way to support a black-owned business, in an conscious effort to remedy an injustice? Why or why not? Tell me if you're black or not when you answer this question too, please.

What are the reasons for there being such a focus on charity and welfare (things that do little to nothing to actually improve people's conditions,) and less of a focus on things that can actually help people be more self-reliant?

We've also got the topics of reparations and the new Pope to discuss. Oh, and if you're gay, what a Blueprint for Gay Power might look like.

People may make judgments or assumptions about me because of my choice of reading material, and they are free to do that. What is most important to me, is that I am honest and true to myself. I think you should be honest and true to yourself too, because that is the only way that we as humans can evolve and grow, whether it is in our personal lives or as a larger human society.

You know I love your comments, so if you have some answers to my questions, or just some thoughts you want to share, lay 'em on me.

5 comments:

1. Black Power means (to me) that there are as many black people in power, as white people, making the rules, teaching our children, doctoring our sick, and so on, all the way from washington d.c. to my small town in the midwest (that happens to be the town referred to as middletown in the sociological study done in the 1937, and where the author of 'life on the color line' lived for most of his life).2 and 4. i do not think investing in a black business is reverse racism. i see it along the same lines as buying local. i would absolutely be willing to do it-and already am intentional when buying hair care products for my daughter that they be something that supports a black business owner. i'm white.i don't know how i feel about the living around and dating thing. we personally want to make certain we live in a place where my daughter sees other people who look like her. and i think a lot about the dating/marrying dilemna for her. i want her to marry the person she falls in love with. but i also know that the reality of it is that if she marries a white person that it's likely she will be told she's acting white (raised by white parents, married a white person...). and in the grand scheme of things, marrying a black person consist of less social problems, but i have a feeling it will make both of our families 'uncomfortable' even if we, as her parents are fine with it. 3. in my opinion, 'color-blind' is a myth that white people made up to make themselves sound good. we notice other people's skin color. i don't think it's the noticing that's the issue, it's what you do when you notice it. if you immediately have a thought about another person that is a stereotype, based solely on the color of their skin, that's when it's an issue. 5. investing time and energy in people is not something many are willing to do. even if people complain about government programs using 'their hard earned money,' when it comes down to it, there are not many willing to move into those communities to help people who are living in generational poverty. nobody is willing to take on 'their' problems of schools without enough resources, children who aren't getting enough to eat, and mom and dad who have no idea how to make food stamps last for the whole month. maybe the government can help offer classes for this sort of thing, but my personal opinion is that it would be beneficial if the people who have the resources (not just finances, but knowledge) would befriend one person who is on welfare to help them learn how to meal plan, budgeting, why it's cheaper to have a checking account than to pay bills with money orders, and so on. it may not 'fix' everything, but it seems like it would be a good start. i know of a few families who have had this help, and it's amazing the difference it makes to a man when he has learned how to save money and can get his son a really awesome christmas present, and is still able to pay everything on time, and has enough food in his house. :)so i guess in short, the reason for hand outs is because it's much easier and takes less time and energy. it also keeps that person 'stuck' on the programs because nobody is showing them how to move beyond that.

I like the idea of shopping at black-owned businesses, especially small ones. I know that minority-owned, woman-owned, and veteran-owned companies get preference with military contracts. Here in Colombia there are several very successful businesses that only hire single moms and I go out of my way to support them. I'll have to start making an effort to think this way more with other groups, too.

This reminds me of a book I heard discussed on Slate's The Afterword last year about a black family that decided to only support black businesses for a year, and then wrote a book about their experience. It was really interesting to hear what they learned, and also about how they had to find some workarounds in order to make it possible.

Black power has a negative connotation for me because I remember the Black Panthers, a group I associated with violence and the "Kill Whitey" mentality. I'm not sure if that's what they were really about but that is my perception of them based on the media coverage and what people around me had to say. The fist in the air is also a symbol for black power; another example of violence instead of solidarity.

Is a black person preferring to spend money at a black-owned business vs a white-owned business reverse racism ? Yes, I think so. If you go out of your way to seek out a small group of business and inconvenience yourself to do it, it smacks of racism to me.

What about preferring to live around black people? Or date and marry black people?

Preferring to live around, date or marry a certain race or ethicity is a matter of comfort. If you are more comfortable around a certain group, you probably haven't been exposed to the other groups very much. Once you expand your horizons, you expand your thinking and comfort level.

I think it's interesting that in a lot of ways we've been supposedly moving towards this ideal of color-blindness, but the inequalities continue to exist along color lines. What are the reasons for that?

People who say they are color-blind are lying to themselves. You cannot help but notice a person's color. Treating a person of color the same as a white person should be what one strives for.

Would you be willing to go out of your way to support a black-owned business, in an conscious effort to remedy an injustice?

No.

Why or why not?

I am black and wouldn't go out of my way to do a lot of things. I prefer convenience to making social statements.

What are the reasons for there being such a focus on charity and welfare (things that do little to nothing to actually improve people's conditions,) and less of a focus on things that can actually help people be more self-reliant? Because they are easier to do, and ease the minds of both blacks and whites. It is really a way to appease people without really helping in the long run.

I am white and did NOT vote for Obama to get someone black in charge just before everything went to hell. I voted for him because I liked him a lot better than McCain/Palin, and because I abhor the modern Republican party. If things had been perfect in the country, I still would not have voted the other way.

About Me

Hello, I'm the mastermind behind myblackfriendsays.com. I am a 35 year-old black woman with a Masters degree in Multicultural Counseling, an (expired) Mensa membership card, and a freakishly large knowledge of all things pop culture.
I started this blog because I love talking about race and inequality, and I bet more people would love talking about them too--if they weren't so afraid someone was going to punch them in the stomach for saying the wrong thing. This is a place to get people thinking, get people talking, and most importantly, to eventually get people doing things that will help us make real progress when it comes to the subjects of race and inequality in America.

If you would like to contact me for any reason (fan mail, hate mail, multimedia development deal,) you can email me: myblackfriend atmyblackfriendsaysdotcom.
Thanks for stopping by, and I hope to see you again soon.